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maggie

“ A nother round, Johnny!” I yell from the table closest to the bar where we’ve gathered for our Sunday girls’ brunch at Walt’s.

Since we’ve had issues with our volume level at other establishments, we had to find a new place.

Walt mentioned a while back that the bar was struggling, so Bougie suggested they open on Sundays for brunch with bottomless mimosas to boost their business.

Needless to say, it’s been a huge hit. Especially when people learned that the Riders, and their wives and girlfriends, frequent here.

And this is the one place in Milwaukee we will definitely not be asked to leave. I hope.

“You sure, Mags? I think you’ve had enough,” he teases back across the bar.

“Don’t be a buzzkill! Come on, one more!”

“Okay with you, Liv? Hayes is coming to pick you all up, right?”

Why the fuck is he asking Liv if I can have another drink? I am a grown ass adult, goddammit!

Liv shifts her gaze between me and Johnny, her fingers tapping nervously on the table. “Yeah, he’ll be here in an hour; one more round of the Maggie Special!”

I narrow my brows. “What the hell is the Maggie Special ?”

“Johnny makes it extra special just for you.” Liv smiles back, but I know she’s hiding something.

That woman can’t keep a secret to save her life.

I glance around the table at everyone finishing up their breakfast, seeing them all conveniently avoiding eye contact with me. I look into my glass, staring at the drink. “Are you poisoning me?”

“We are not poisoning you, Maggie,” Kara laughs, “Johnny just puts a lil’ something special in that for us.”

“I don’t know what you guys are up to, but I don’t like it…”

“Hey everyone; sorry I’m late!” Kennedy pops in, taking a seat and sliding her purse on the back of the chair. “As I was leaving, I had another random gift delivery at my place and had to let the guy in.”

Kara stares at her with wide eyes. “ Another gift? What was it this time?!”

Kennedy looks down at the table shaking her head. “A giant diamond encrusted leopard. I’m fairly certain they are real diamonds.”

“The fuck?! Seriously?” I yell.

“Yeah, let me show you the picture. Maggie, you need to come down the hall and see this monstrosity in person.” Kennedy shows us her phone as all our eyes bug out.

“Kennedy! Who the hell is sending you all these gifts?” Olivia asks, starting to tick out the insanity on her fingers. “First, it was the cappuccino maker, even though you’re lactose intolerant, then the dozens and dozens of roses. How many did you say it was?”

“Five dozen and randomly there were eight single roses.”

“And the Taylor Swift autographed guitar, which I have to admit I’m still a little jealous of, and now a diamond encrusted leopard?! Who is your secret admirer?” Olivia leans across the table, asking her the question we have all been wondering for weeks.

She looks down at her drink with a groan. “I wish I knew. The note always says the same thing, but it’s never signed.”

Kara pipes in, reciting the note we’ve all heard multiple times, “ I see you in my dreams, in every sunlit sky; I see you in the morning when you barely pass me by.”

I chime in with the rest, “ Like waves drawn to the shores, you’ve pulled me in with force. I’ll long for you until the day when I am finally yours.”

“Goddammit, I need to know who this is so I can put it in a song,” Olivia grumbles.

“Well, whoever it is, you’re lucky. Someone trying to win you over? He sounds sweet. Probably even cares about you…” My words trail off as I try to shake away the mess in my own head and take a long drink of my mimosa. I nod to the carafe Johnny left on the table. “You want one?”

Kennedy looks at Olivia. “Is that the Maggie Special?”

“Yep.”

Kennedy flags Johnny down. “Can I get a mimosa over here? All that’s left is the Maggie Special.”

“Sure thing, Kenni…be right there!”

I whip my head back and forth between my friends like a damn cat watching a ping-pong match. “Okay, what the hell is up with the drink?” Olivia laughs as she looks away. “Seriously what?”

“Maggie,” Kennedy says, cupping my hands in hers. “It’s just OJ with champagne around the rim of the carafe to make you think there’s alcohol. They’re cutting you off when they get you the Maggie Special.”

My nostrils flare. “What in the actual fuck?! I hate you all. I’m already dealing with two weeks of no contact from… him ...and now you’re taking away my champagne? You guys are the worst.” I rip my hands from Kennedy, crossing my arms over my chest and slumping further into my seat.

“Still haven’t heard from Vladi, huh?” Kara says with a pitying look.

“Nope. Not a peep.”

Olivia coughs as she takes a drink, which might seem unassuming, but this little bird sings like a canary when she’s had some booze, and I have a feeling she knows something. I lean across the table, slamming my hand down in front of her. “Spill it, Liv. What’s going on?”

She stares at her drink, tapping her fingers along the glass. “I don’t know anything, I swear.”

“Bullshit. You know something. What’s he doing?”

She shifts in her seat, shoulders sinking as her eyes meet mine.

“ Fine. Listen…all I know is that Hayes said he’s working on some stuff.

And he specifically told me, ‘I can’t go into more detail because the guys have all figured out you can’t keep a secret’, so he won’t tell me more.

But I feel like that’s a good sign, right? At least he’s doing something ?”

I grumble, sitting back down. “I know he needs to work on some things. I mean, I told him as much. But…dammit. I’m impatient and this waiting part fucking sucks.” I raise my glass and tip it back, quickly realizing there’s no alcohol in it, slamming it back on the table.

Kara leans over to give me a hug around my shoulders. “He’ll get there, Mags. You found a way to crack through to that heart. Just give him a little time. He’s been so closed off for so long, it’s not an overnight thing. I know he’ll figure it out.”

I let out a loud groan, the ache in my chest tugging on every thread behind my ribs. I hope she’s right. I’ve had to have some difficult conversations with Ms. Melissa Joan Heart the past couple of weeks, leaving both of us more bruised than before.

She keeps getting excited every time the phone buzzes next to me on the couch, naively hoping it’s him.

She flips cartwheels in the shower remembering the time we shared under the warm spray.

Even in my damn bed she can’t control herself, thinking about that night we first met. She’s damn near worn out every toy in my nightstand the last two weeks. These vibrator websites really need to have a heartbreak discount.

Yeah…he has issues, especially when you think about the fact that he nearly murdered someone to protect me, but seeing a man go feral like that?

That was not something I ever had on my bingo card, but here I am jumping up and down screaming yes at the top of my lungs at that win.

Well…it was a win . Now I’m just wondering if I should reach out.

Should I let him know I’m here for him despite what I said?

I’ve never wavered this much in my damn life.

I love that asshole, but goddammit, why does this have to be so hard?

! Why can’t I just love him, he love me, and that be enough?

Why does love have to be so damn complicated?

Melissa…remember when you were on Clarissa Explains It All? I could really use some explanation.

My heart feels like it’s slowly dying every day I don’t hear from him.

I don’t know how much longer I can keep it beating.